


The Second Chance Job

by gilligankane



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Gen, the Leverage version
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:37:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilligankane/pseuds/gilligankane
Summary: Alex looks out of the window across the street. Up a few storefronts, the big metal gates are open. Guys in black tanks rev their engines obnoxiously."I have an idea," she says. She looks back at Carmen. "You came to the right people. We'll take care of this."---AKA, The one where Alex messes up and has to make it right.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I just can't stay away. 
> 
> Also, comic verse-Maggie Sawyer has a daughter and so. That.

"So why don't you tell everyone what you told me," Alex prompts gently. She puts an arm out across the back of the booth. The diner is quiet and the morning rush has come and gone.

The woman takes a deep shuddering breath.

"Carmen, it's okay," Alex continues. "You can trust them. They're my team."

Kara reaches out from across the booth, letting her hand fall on Carmen's shoulder. "James and Winn are the best. We trust them with our lives."

James leans in a little, his smile wide and warm. "I'm James," he introduces, pulling his chair closer to the table. "You might have seen me around the neighborhood. I'm a cop. I'm pretty sure I've seen you before, at a Rec Center party?"

Carmen softens a little, familiarity in her eyes. "Yes. Officer Olsen. You're always playing pick-up with the boys on the outside court."

Jimmy snorts. "More like they play me."

"Well that can't be hard," Alex interrupts. She smiles when Carmen lets out a little laugh.

"You're very kind to them," Carmen says. "They look up to you."

Kara smiles and Jimmy flushes. "Nawh," he says.

"Go ahead, Carmen. Tell them," Alex prompts again.

Carmen takes a deep breath and nods. "Two nights ago, I was locking up the Center. We were open late because we running one of our parent classes."

"They're the best," Maggie says from the other side of the booth. Winn narrows his eyes slightly at her. He glances back at Alex but she ignores him.

Carmen smiles at Maggie and there's something familiar there that Alex can't put her finger on.

"The last of the staff had gone - I told them I could lock up alone. I had just double-checked the safe and I was going to close the office door when I heard a loud pop at the front entrance. I thought maybe one of the parents had popped a tire or something. We have spares in the gym closet." Carmen stops for a moment and takes a long sip from her coffee mug.

Alex meets Maggie's sympathetic gaze over the top of her own mug and looks away.

"When I headed towards the front door, though, two people in black were running towards me," Carmen continues. "They knocked me down and broke into the office. I tried to fight back but it was useless. They broke my arm like it was a popsicle stick." She lifts her arm and puts it on the table, her cast landing with a heavy 'thud.' "They ransacked the office. Broke into the safe." Carmen's eyes well with tears. "They took all the money we had saved up for the big end of summer party. Without it, we'll have to cancel. I have to call the rental place and ask for all our deposits back."

Alex is already shaking her head. "Absolutely not. The kids in this neighborhood have been looking to the block party all summer."

"I just don't know how we can afford it," Carmen says. "Not with the renewal for lease coming up too."

Winn leans in. "The money is no problem. We can replace it, like, right now if you want."

Carmen shakes her head. "It's more than the money," she says sadly.

"It's the security," Maggie supplies.

Carmen nods. "We call the Center a 'safe space' and now that's been... taken away."

"You might never get it back," Maggie says softly.

"I know," Carmen sighs. "But there's just so much I don't know. Who were they? Why the Center? We do so much for this neighborhood. Good stuff. Why would anyone want to take that away?"

Alex looks out of the window across the street. Up a few storefronts, the big metal gates are open. Guys in black tanks rev their engines obnoxiously.

"I have an idea," she says. She looks back at Carmen. "You came to the right people. We'll take care of this."

\---

"I'm still not sure about this," Kara says, her eyes wandering to Maggie and back.

Maggie leans up against Alex's kitchen counter, her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair is loose and long and Alex wonders what it might be like to kill the four feet between them, wind her hands through that hair and...

"Earth to Alex. Are you listening to me?"

Alex shakes herself out of her daydream. Maggie has the faintest smirk on her face. "I'm here. I'm listening," Alex says to Kara. "Listen, the more people who know the neighborhood, the better."

"And I know the neighborhood," Maggie says.

"I know the neighborhood too," Kara argues. There's a coldness to her words that Alex rarely hears and it make her question her choice, just for a moment.

"Kara," Alex warns.

Kara scowls for a moment before she turns back to Alex. "I'm just saying that we're fine without extra bodies."

Maggie raises an eyebrow. "You got a problem, Little Danvers?"

Kara turns on Maggie. "What're your intentions, huh?"

Maggie frowns. "Excuse me?"

Kara backs off slightly, as if she's suddenly aware of her words. "I mean, what're you doing here? Why're you here?"

"The Center means something to everybody. Even me," Maggie says defensively. "When Alex offered me a chance to help protect it, how could I say no?" She stares Kara down.

Kara stares back, their eyes narrowed at each other. "Okay," Kara finally says. "I guess that's enough. For now."

Alex rolls her eyes and gestures to the kitchen table. "Can we get back to the plan?"

Kara nods and leans into Jimmy. "What's the plan, Boss?"

"The plan is... there is no plan," Alex sighs.

"Danvers, I'm disappointed," Maggie says.

It makes Alex straighten up a little.

"Word on the street is you're the big good. Instead of the big bad, I mean." Maggie shrugs. "I thought you ran this thing."

"She does," Kara defends. Jimmy and Winn nod in agreement.

"I do," Alex echoes. "Gimme a second." She bites down on her lower lip while she thinks. Ideas form and fade until finally, she's got something to go on. "Okay," she says determinedly. "We know the DEO is behind this."

"Are we 100% sure?" Maggie asks. She steps in close and leans in towards Alex, looking over her shoulder at all the pages spread out on the table.

"99.9% sure. Unless some other evil is moving into town and trying to start a turf war." She considers that for a moment before she shakes her head. "No. It was DEO ordered and run. They hate the Center. It stands for all the good this neighborhood can be. Without it, there's no reason not to get on board with the DEO. Take the Center away and this whole block has nothing besides the DEO."

"That's one way to boost recruitment," Winn mumbles.

Alex ignores him. "So we know who it is. And Carmen says it's not about the money, but-"

"It's about the money," everyone else says.

Alex nods. "So we get back the money and we send a message: Don't mess with us."

Kara claps enthusiastically. "Great! How're we gonna do it?"

\---

This is how they're going to do it: Winn is going to kill the footage from the security cameras a "generous benefactor" provided the Center with. He can run recognition software to see if anything stands out. Once they have names, Jimmy will pull their records so Alex can know exactly what they're up against.m; what they're motivating factors are. Once they have names and details, Kara will do recon. Getting a DEO slimeball alone is tough. They'll need more than just he regular recon. Once they have what they need, they'll round up the two guys and Alex will give them a talking to.

Maggie disagrees with nearly all of it.

"That's a lame plan," she argues.

Alex crosses her arms over her chest. "Excuse me?"

"You're going to give them a 'talking to'? What're they, five?" Maggie shakes her head. "They went after the neighborhood's lifeline, Alex. Kids grow up on the streets or they grow up in the Center. You want all those kid's futures on your hands?"

Alex tells Kara and Winn and Jimmy to take a break. Kara leaves the room reluctantly, her eyes darting back and forth between Alex and Maggie, but Alex waves her off. She waits until the door closes before she turns on Maggie.

"What's going on?"

Maggie steps back, putting space between them. She turns to look out the window, taking in the whole street. "What're you talking about?"

Alex sighs and steps close enough that she could touch Maggie. She won't right now - something about the way Maggie has her arms wrapped around her own waist and the way she's looking out over the street tells Alex to be cautious, to wait for Maggie to make the first move.

"Something is up," she says softly. "When I mentioned what happened while we were..."

"On a date," Maggie supplies when Alex hesitates.

"Having dinner," Alex corrects. "When I mentioned Carmen's phone call, you were... You seemed personally affected."

Maggie shrugs, still turned away from her. "The Center has helped everyone at some point, Alex."

Alex shakes her head and steps closer. Forget Maggie's body language, she tells herself as she puts a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "No. That was... more than that."

Maggie sighs and turns her head to look at Alex. "I've taken those parenting classes she says quietly. "Under the radar, I mean. A different name."

And Alex is confused, but she's listening. Her hand slides down Maggie's arm, her fingers lacing with Maggie's. She doesn't look at her, waiting for Maggie fill this space between them.

"I never wanted to be a mom. Totally wasn't on my list, you know?"

Alex squeezes Maggie'a hand reassuringly.

"But then I was and I had no idea what I was doing." Maggie sighs. "I left Gotham because it's no place to raise a child. And I ended up in National City because it's where my car finally quit. I was trying it on my own for a while - and failing. But then I met Carmen and she told me about the classes. And how they babysit your kids while you take them and... If I didn't take those classes, if I hadn't met people like me who have no clue what they're doing or how to even try, I would still be living out of my car and my kid would be back with her dad."

"And he's..."

Maggie snorts. "A total douche who isn't around anymore."

Alex turns to Maggie, tugging until the other woman looks at her. "Your..."

"Daughter," Maggie supplies.

"Your daughter goes to the Center."

"Every day after school until I get home from work." Maggie nods. "I don't want to just give these guys a talking to, Alex. I want them to feel as scared as they made Carmen. I want them to feel like we're behind every closed door. Like we're waiting on every street corner. The same way people in this neighborhood feel about them."

Alex gives in and slides her free hand through Maggie's hair, resting it on the back of her neck. She taps her fingers against the base of Maggie's spine. "You haven't told many people about her, have you?"

"None of the girls I date, if that's what you're asking," Maggie answers. "I only tell people who matter."

Alex tries not to linger on Maggie's wording. Instead, she focuses on Maggie. She moves her fingers across Maggie's cheek and tucks them under Maggie's chin. "Thank you for telling me," she murmurs. "You do matter, you know that?" She feels her body tipping forward. Her eyes dart down to Maggie's lips.

She leans in, her bottom lip ghosting across Maggie's lips.

Kara bangs back into the kitchen and Alex jumps back, shoving her hands in her front pockets. "I'm sorry," Kara says in a rush. "But somebody farted in there and I can't stand it anymore."

Jimmy puts his hands up. "Wasn't me."

Winn rolls his eyes at both of them and says nothing.

Maggie frowns and turns back to the window quickly. To compose herself, Alex thinks. Then she's at the table again, standing just a little closer to Alex. Their hips bump lightly.

"So, the plan?" Jimmy asks.

\---

The new plan goes like this: Winn is still going to check the tapes. Jimmy is going to organize a clean up rally - all of the gym windows were broken in the break-in - and Kara will scout the DEO to see who is the most pissed that all their hard work created a neighborhood bonding moment. Maggie is going to do some in-house recon and set up security lines inside their headquarters that Winn can tap into. Alex is going do what she does best - walk in the front door and pray she walks out again.

Maggie is on board with most of this plan.

"I don't like the idea of you just waltzing in there," Maggie says.

"It's the best option," Alex argues. "Everyone knows Jimmy is a cop and they'd never let him through the front door. They'd eat Winn alive for breakfast. And I am not letting Kara in there."

"Let me go in. You do the backdoor stuff," Maggie tries.

Alex smirks.

Maggie flushes, faintly. "You know what I mean," she says. "I'll go in there, flirt a little, grab whatever I see, and then when you signal me, I'll leave."

Alex can't argue with that. The idea of flirting with those DEO meatheads is already making her stomach turn and she hasn't even done it. But the idea of Maggie doing it, of leaning across the counter of the motorcycle shop and batting her eyelashes at some guy, that makes Alex's stomach flop in a way that she thinks she can explain but she doesn't want to try.

"Fine," Alex relents with a sigh. "That's the plan, then."

\---

None of it goes according to plan.

Everyone on the block knows Kara, including the DEO guys. Especially them. And because they know exactly who she is, when she starts hanging around in front of their shop, pulling from their clients, they start to get pissed.

"I had it covered," Kara says. Alex ignores her and lets her into the apartment. "They're all talk and no action."

"They broke Carmen's arm," Alex nearly shouts. "Why do you think they wouldn't do the same to you?"

Kara shrugs and winces. Alex pulls back her shirt and exposes her shoulder. It's already turning black and blue. Alex thinks she can see fingerprints.

"Kara," Alex sighs.

Kara grabs Alex's hand and holds it tightly. "I'm still right here," she says. "It's just a bruise."

"These guys," Alex starts, her voice thick. "these guys aren't amateurs. They're trained by pros and they play like pros. And you are still so..."

Kara pulls Alex in tightly. "I'm not going anywhere," she murmurs. "I'm right here."

"If you're not careful out there-"

"I will be," Kara promises. "I'm never leaving you."

"You better not," Alex whispers into the crook of Kara's neck. You're all I have left, she doesn't say.

Jimmy comes barreling through the front door with so much force that Alex is sure she'll need to check the hinges later.

"They have Winn," he pants, his hands on his knees.

Maggie comes flying into behind him, a hand on her side. "Cramp," she growls. She takes a deep breath and tries to slow her breathing down.

Alex lets go of Kara, who rushes to Jimmy. "Someone tell me what happened."

Maggie drops to the kitchen table. "I saw you leave but I was already in the shop and I knew this was our chance. And Winn was right around the corner and he had all the wires and..." Maggie takes another deep breath. "Damn, I am out of shape."

"Not the time, Sawyer."

The last name snaps Maggie back to reality. She straightens up with one last push to her side and keeps going. "So I used that stupid watch he gave me, with the signal button on it. And he went in through the back and I tried to keep them busy but they were furious with Kara pick-pocketing one of their customers that they barely paid any attention to me. I mean, look at me!"

Alex focuses on Maggie's outfit for the first time. Her jeans look painted on and she's traded in her leather jacket and graphic t-shirt for a crop top and denim jacket that shows her stomach. Alex feels inappropriate just looking at her. She follows the curve of Maggie's waist up her body until she catches Maggie smirking back at her. She looks away quickly.

"I tried," she continued. "But they went into the back room and they caught Winn as he was trying to leave." Maggie sighs.

"Why did you take him out of the van?" Alex asks, mad now. "He shouldn't have gone in there. He can't handle that."

"We had to take our shot. I was only going to get one chance, Alex," Maggie says, standing up.

Alex waves her off. "We should have pulled out and tried another day," she argues.

"I was already in place," Maggie argues back. "I'm not the one who went off script first, Danvers."

"Kara got hurt," Alex says, eyes narrowed. Her face is red and she's angry. "You should have pulled out when I pulled out."

"Kara isn't the only one at stake here," Maggie practically shouts.

"She's the only one that matters!"

Maggie steps back a few feet, shaking her head. "Some team you're running here, Danvers."

Alex steps forward as she realizes what she said but Maggie takes two quick steps back. "Maggie..."

Maggie puts a hand up. "Forget it, Danvers. I'll do it my way." She at the door now, her hand curled around it. "I should have never agreed to this. I work better on my own."

Then she's gone and so is the air in the room. Alex frowns, moving forward again, but when she checks around the door, Maggie is already gone.

"Alex," Kara says softly. Alex turns to look at her sister. "We have to get Winn back."

\---

In the end, Alex breaks down the back door to a place down by the docks. Jimmy pants heavily beside her.

"I loosened it," he says as he struggles to control his breathing.

Alex rolls her eyes. "Sure you did, big guy."

She waves Kara and Jimmy inside, sneaking into the large open room. She sees the shadow of someone slumped in a chair, arms tied behind their back. She motions silently at the figure - she's not sure why. They weren't exactly subtle coming through the door.

Kara sprints ahead and Jimmy and Alex cover her. Jimmy has his service weapon pulled, Alex has a knife and a fight hook. Kara only has eyes for Winn and she skids to a stop in front of him.

"Wake up," she hisses at him. He doesn't move. She smacks his cheek lightly and he startles.

"Kara!"

"Help me," she hisses. "Move forward."

While they take their time, Alex scouts out the building. It's nondescript from the outside but inside, there's hundreds of wooden boxes lining the walls. She motions to Jimmy that she's going to check one out and he nods back, his focus returning to Kara untying Winn. Alex turns her knife and uses the handle to leverage the top off. It looks like a whole lot of hay at first, but as the light adjusts, Alex whistles low.

Guns on guns on guns.

She reaches in and takes one out, holding it gingerly in her hands. She knows a little about guns - Jimmy made them all take a preliminary course. It's heavy in her hands. She looks back into the wooden crate again and counts ten that she can see. She wonders if every crate is holding the same thing but she doesn't want to linger and find out.

Kara pushes into her, aiming her towards the door. The gun is still in her hands and she doesn't have time to put it back. Jimmy is covering them and Winn is limping but her weird little family leaves the building all together and Alex feels a little lighter as they pile into her old Buick.

"Oh, thank god you guys came for me," Winn is sobbing as they get into the car. "When- Stop," he whines.

Kara is fussing over Winn, pulling at his sleeves to check out the marks the ropes left. Jimmy slides into the passenger seat and taps the dash, signaling they're good to go. Alex peels out of the parking lot.

"Wait!"

She throws on the brakes and puts it in park and looks back at wide eyed-Kara and Winn, still trying to catch his breath. She looks at Jimmy who looks like he wants to be 1000 miles away from where they are. She frowns.

"Why was that so easy?" she asks. "We weren't exactly quiet about anything."

Winn leans forward from the backseat. "Listen, I was-"

Jimmy's frown deepens and he cuts Winn off. "You're right," he says slowly. "That felt weird."

Kara is shaking her head. "Why are we stopping to count our blessings? We got Winn. Lets just get out of here."

Alex glances in her rearview mirror and then her side mirror. "No, the other shoe is going to drop. We're either driving into a trap or we're going home to a trap." She grips the steering wheel tightly.

Winn clears his throat loudly from the backseat.

Alex turns. "What?"

"Like I was saying. I'm glad you guys came for me." Winn pauses. "When Maggie came earlier, she told she could either take everyone in there, or she rescue me. But she couldn't do both."

Alex's ear start to ring. "Maggie?"

Winn nods, brushing Kara's hands away. "She came and left like, a half hour before you did. You should have seen her. Man! She was like, pop, phew," he said, miming punches. "She took on, like four guys. It was incredible. And she took all this cash they had stashed away and she tied them up and locked them in a closet together."

Alex blinks rapidly, trying to make sense of all of this information. "Wait, she didn't rescue you?"

Winn shakes his head. "She said she couldn't do it all. But that she'd make sure I was found."

Alex turns completely in her seat, eyeing Kara. "How did we find Winn?"

Kara frowns. "I used his computer? It pinged."

Winn holds up his wrist. His watch gleams in the streetlight streaming in through the window. The side of it blinks red. "She activated my watch," he explains. "There's no one coming after us. I promise."

Alex slowly shifts the car into drive, glancing back at Winn before she starts rolling forward again. He's staring at her in the rearview mirror but she can't make out his expression or what it means.

\---

"Thank you so much," Carmen gushes, her hand tight on Alex's forearm. "The Center paid its lease and we're going to be able to have the end of summer party, just like we planned."

Alex smiles politely but her attention is locked on someone across the blacktop. There's a pickup game on the court right next to her, but just past it, there's a group of smaller kids, playing tag. Alex spotted Maggie almost immediately, leaning against the fence with her hands in her leather jacket. It's been almost 24 hours since they rescued Winn and she hasn't heard a word from Maggie. Carmen had called in the morning, thanking her profusely for the cash gift left just inside the front door of the Center. Alex had pretended to know what she was talking about and accepted an invitation to stop by later. She had hoped to see Maggie and now that she can, Alex isn't sure what to say.

Still, she drifts out of Carmen's conversation as Jimmy and Kara take her place. She wanders around the pickup game, eyeing Maggie. The other woman isn't rushing off in the opposite direction and Alex takes that as a good sign. She sidles up against the fence next to Maggie but doesn't say anything.

"Hey," Maggie says after a moment.

Alex fights her relief and nods instead. "Hi."

"How's the kid?"

"He's okay. Thanks to you," Alex adds.

Maggie shrugs. "My fault he was stuck there in the first place."

Alex turns completely to face Maggie. "No," she breathes out. "It was my fault. You were right. I changed the plan and it was wrong. I made the wrong call."

Maggie nods, her eyes still on the kids playing tag. "That watch of his is pretty cool."

Alex smirks. "Don't tell him that. He'll show every gadget he's working on."

Maggie's lips twitch and Alex feels her heart swell. "Some team you got," Maggie says.

"There's still room for one more," she offers hesitantly.

Maggie finally looks at her. "What you see is what you get, Danvers."

"I like what I see," Alex says quietly.

"I don't like changes in the plan."

"I can't promise I won't make them."

"And everyone counts the same," Maggie continues.

Alex hesitates. "She's my sister, Maggie."

"And I'm trusting you with my life, every time we go out there." Maggie's eyes stray back to the kids. "I've got my reasons too, you know?"

Alex looks out at the kids, really studies them. She picks out Maggie' daughter easily. They have the same wild hair and wide, easy grins. "I know," she says softly. "And I can promise you I'll try."

Maggie slides closer until they're shoulders bump together. "You get one, Danvers," she murmurs.

"I'll take it," Alex whispers back.

She can't help but smile when Maggie's hand laces tightly with hers. 


End file.
